A Twist in the Story
by burning happiness
Summary: When Hermione was sitting beside Ron in the hospital wing of Hogwarts, she couldn't help but notice how similar it was to a classic fairy tale. But there was a twist in the story. She was in the prince's shoes. Written for the Based on Fairytales Competition in HPFC.


**This is my entry for the Based on Fairytales Competition in HPFC. It is based off of the fairytale of Sleeping Beauty. Hope you enjoy! :) Also, I've categorized this as Harry Potter and NOT A CROSSOVER because of the fact that the characters do not go into another world. It still takes place at Hogwarts, and no characters from Sleeping Beauty appear in this. **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own HP, JKR does.** **I don't own Sleeping Beauty either.**

Hermione rushed into the hospital room as soon as she heard that Ron had been poisoned. Word had spread fast that he had taken a sip of something with poison in it, but Hermione wasn't quite sure what had happened aside from the fact that Harry had saved him with his quick thinking. She turned the corner and ran right into Madam Pomfrey.

"Watch where you're going, darling," she told Hermione, "Are you here to see Ronald?"

"Yes," Hermione replied.

"Okay then, he's in the bed at the very end on the left side," Madam Pomfrey said.

"Thank you," Hermione said, and began to rush down the long corridor of the hospital wing, passing a sick Gryffindor, a Hufflepuff with a broken arm, and a Slytherin with gauze wrapped around his forehead. She reached the back of the corridor, seeing his sleeping eyes.

"Ron," she whispered, shocked to see the strong young man she knew in such a vulnerable state.

"Hi Hermione," Ginny whispered. Harry was standing beside Ron, looked at Hermione, waved and went back to staring at his unconscious friend.

Hermione and Ginny were sitting beside Ron's bed later that afternoon. Harry had been talking to Dumbledore, Slughorn, Snape and McGonagall when Hermione heard footsteps rushing down the hospital wing.

"Where is he? Where's my won-won?" Lavender Brown shouted as she ran down the corridor, just as Hermione had done not hours before, but without all of the shouting. She wasn't desperate, but it seemed like Lavender was. "Has he been asking for me?" Hermione rolled her eyes, refusing to look up at the girl Ron had been dating for the past little while. Hermione could tell Lavender was staring daggers into the back of her head. "What're you doing here?" she asked abruptly.

"Might I ask you the same question," Hermione said defensively. Hermione, Ron and Harry had been friends since 1st Year. She had to be here for her friend. He was there for her when the Basilisk paralyzed her, she had to do the same.

"I happen to be his girlfriend," Lavender said with authority, as if being his girlfriend for a few weeks made her so much more important than Hermione.

"I happen to be his… friend," Hermione told her.

"Don't make me laugh. You haven't spoken in weeks! I suppose you want to make up now that he's suddenly all interesting!" Lavender told her, as if she knew exactly what was going on.

"He's been poisoned, you daft dimbo! And for the record, I've always found him interesting," Hermione retorted, getting angrier by the second. Ron mumbled something inaudible behind them.

"Ah! See? He senses my presence," Lavender said, "Don't worry, Won-Won! I'm here. I'm here."

Ron's mumbling began to become a little bit more audible by the moment.

"Her…my… knee…. Hermione," he said. Hermione stared at him lovingly, and Lavender stared at her with hatred. She took another look at Ron, still gently whispering Hermione's name, spun on her heel, and ran out crying. Hermione took a seat on the side of Ron's hospital bed and held his hand, clutching it like it was her life source.

"Oh, to be young and to feel love's keen sting," Dumbledore said, "Well, come away everyone... Mr. Weasley is well tended." The three professors followed Dumbledore out of the hospital wing. Ginny and Harry stayed a moment longer than everyone else.

"About time, too. Don't you think?" Ginny asked Harry. Hermione could clearly hear them, but she was still staring at Ron. Ginny walked out, leaving Harry and Hermione alone with Ron. Madam Pomfrey handed Harry something, though she didn't see what it was.

"Thank you," Harry replied. Hermione finally decided to look up, knowing she'd meet Harry's gaze.

"Oh, shut up," she told him, rolling her eyes. He was staring at them as if he knew this would happen all along, and that the two had been oblivious to how they had felt about each other until now.

Later that afternoon, Hermione was sitting beside Ron in his hospital bed. He sat there, still unconscious. She sat there until she couldn't take it anymore. She leaned in, kissing the sleeping boy. As soon as she withdrew her lips from his, Ron's eyelids fluttered open. Ron stared at her, and she blushed. She didn't expect him to wake up, but it was like a moment from a story. Like Sleeping Beauty, but reversed. This time, instead of the Princess getting saved, it looked like the Prince was the one in danger.

"It's Sleeping Beauty all over again," she told Ron, explaining the whole story to him.

"So, I was in the Princess' shoes?" he asked her.

"Well, yes. Basically. Does that make me the Prince?" she asked him.

"I guess it very well does. True love's curse will break the spell. Maybe you had to kiss me to wake me up," he said.

"Oh, you would've woken up eventually," Hermione told him in a very matter-of-fact tone.

"But what if I didn't?" he asked.

"Then I would have kissed you eventually."

"Good. Even though I was dating Lavender, you were still the only girl on my mind. You'll always be my princess."


End file.
